A measurement system can be described as a collection of instruments or gages, standards, operations, methods, fixtures, software, personnel, environment and assumptions used to quantify a unit of measure or fix assessment to the feature characteristic being measured, and the complete process used to obtain measurements. A measurement system analysis (MSA) is a study performed on a measurement system to quantify its measurement variation and uncertainty.
Whenever a measurement is performed in support of a manufacturing or engineering process, an MSA can be performed to assure the measurement process can meet the intended need. An MSA provides a common approach to measurements used to, among other things, control manufacturing process, confirm non-technical business related metrics, evaluate design criteria, calibrate measurement processes, and validate business processes.